To think that with over 1million pensioners in poverty, removing the WFA makes Labour the nasty party, who tell blatant lies?

[TealTraybake]

And hypocritical lies at that. Just a few months ago Labour ‘vowed to be the party for pensioners’

‘Nearly 1 million people aged over 66 in the UK are living in deprivation, according to government statistics, the highest number since comparable records began.
Labour, which analysed figures from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records, has vowed to be the party for pensioners, with plans to insulate millions of homes and reduce energy bills. It has also “committed to retaining” the triple lock which guarantees annual rises to the state pension’

I understand the WFA should be means tested - but the current threshold is far too low. Food prices have gone up. Energy prices have gone up. Some pensioners need that WFA 🥺.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/16/nearly-1m-uk-pensioners-deprivation-official-figures

Rayner’s the housing minister so it obviously falls within her remit. I’m so delighted they’re stopping it that I really don’t care who announces it. It’s bloody shameful that the Blair government didn’t get rid of it. And look at their hypocrisy with tuition fees.

Your internal logic is flawed. You think right to buy should never have happened. I agree. So what is worse, continuing it or stopping it?

There is no evidence that bus passes are going to be abolished, that's scaremongering.

And of course the abolition of right to buy is also scaremongering and speculation. Silly me for taking your statement on it seriously.

i think you need to read again. I didn’t say it was wrong to stop it. Perhaps too nuanced for die hard comrades but I suggested perhaps she shouldn’t have announced it given her past benefit from it. Just another example of Labour hypocrisy. They are making it Very Easy to pick holes, you see.

Bus passes you’re correct I’m not sure - I only heard them talking about it in the gp surgery yesterday. I hope it is not true. Many of them that’s the only way they can get about.

I’m happy to see they’ve given the medics their well deserved pay rise.

These posts that’ harp back to what the tories did are tedious.
We all know that the tories were a shitshow. But not being the tories doesn’t put labour above criticism.

Starmer didn’t outline his policies before the election because he knew they would lose him votes.

The WFA is the tip of the ice berg, and is easy to support by people who aren’t going to be affected by it.

VAT on school fees is going to affect more people when the private schools close and the state schools are over subscribed and house prices go up.

Getting rid of single persons council tax allowance is going to affect every single parent who is already struggling.

If they are going to abolish right to buy, for which statement there is zero evidence, then it comes under housing. Angela Rayner is in charge of housing, therefore any announcement to that effect would be her job. Nothing hypocritical about it; in fact, it is her responsibility to take the inevitable flak.

And stop scaremongering.

Your last sentence is an excellent point @pointythings. Good to see a politician take responsibility - if it happens.

You would say that. Like I suppose many of the Labour politicians droning on about private schools. When they either went to one themselves (fewer this gvt I know), or went to selective grammars, or more likely now - they send/t their children to private or grammar. Or they went to a state school that happens to be one of the best performing state schools in the country. You don’t see politicians sending their children to big standard comps in Barking or Salford.

So, it’s just another do as I say not as I do. Labour are good at that.

yes let’s wait until October. We will all have a clearer idea of how Labour will shaft us. Unless we’re union members / civil service of course.

You don’t see politicians sending their children to big standard comps in Barking or Salford.

Well, you wouldn’t. The Barking MP’s child was born this year and Rebecca Long-Bailey’s is primary age. In any event Salford schools seem to be mainly high schools and academies.

😑

@TealTraybake so in fact you want Angela Rayner to dodge her responsibilities as she person responsible for housing policy by not announcing a hypothetical policy within her portfolio so that she doesn't have to stand there and face challenges on her own use of right to buy. In your eyes,doing the harder thing and owning it would be 'hypocritical '. OK then.

The rest of your post is just standard sour grapes.

What is sour grapes? I don't think it's surprising you're happier with Labour if you are in the public sector

There's plenty of people outside that who will feel annoyed. Just look outside mn at comments

@EasternStandard the sour grapes are about the relentless way posters on here who oppose Labour are complaining about policies which haven't even been announced yet but only speculated about in the right wing media.

It's scaremongering and nothing more, and it's pathetic.

You seem to think working in the public sector a) automatically means you’re a die hard Labour voter and b) insulates you from all the slings and arrows that affect the rest of the population. Public sector workers pay the same taxes as everyone else and are affected by the same financial burdens. The difference is that public sector workers are intimately acquainted with what taxation pays for and how it benefits society so are less likely to resent paying it.

That argument goes hand in hand with the idea that public sector workers aren't real tax payers. Confuses the hell out of me because hey, that money isn't staying in my bank account every month.

Speculation is down to Starmer, it was his press conference on declaring pain to come and difficult decisions that has prompted talk

On the right wing media I think you'll find The Guardian pretty scathing these days, in fact they all are, well maybe not the BBC

I know. I was a higher rate tax payer for the last 20 years of my career, I’m pretty sure there was a sum in the deductions column of my payslip marked Income Tax and another marked National Insurance Contribution.

The we 💙 Labour supporters club have jumped on this thread to support each other. Sweet!

Who has said you don't pay tax?

I said it's not surprising you are happier with Labour if you are public sector

As for being immune as in pp I don't think that and didn't post it.

It is obviously ok this year but if Labour cannot keep growth and what is expected then the public sector will be hit too. Given the BMAs comments today that will be difficult

I said it's not surprising you are happier with Labour if you are public sector

So why did you say it? Why do you think public sector workers are more likely to be happy with a Labour government?

It's not the 'right wing press' scaremongering, that's just ridiculous. These policy questions aren't just randomly made up, they're based on Labour's own leaked ideas to test the reactions.

Leaked where? I haven't seen anything so would appreciate links showing that this was a leak rather than speculation.

Keir-I Want to Serve-Starmer.
Let me correct that for him and his dozy fans:
Keir-I Want to SELF-Serve-Starmer.

Let me think. I'm really scratching my head here.
Oh, Hang on-could it be because of the pay rises that their Unions will wrangle from their chief butlers-Keir and Our Ange?
Or maybe the fact that Our Ange will protect them from ever having to set foot in an office again.
maybe even that services will be cut in order divert money to their pensions.

There's three-the less dim or brainwashed will be able to think of many others.